NBA: Reasons for all 30 teams to be optimistic heading into 2021-22

Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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Chris Paul
Phoenix Suns Chris Paul (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul stayed and everyone else should get better

How is it that the defending Western Conference champions feel like a sleeper pick again this year? Do we forget that quickly?

Chris Paul isn’t getting any younger, but everyone else around him is back and should only be better. That playoff experience is so valuable for the younger players on this team and I think they have another deep playoff run in them if Paul stays healthy.

Utah Jazz: Eventually it has to work, right?

That was a pretty rough playoff collapse against the Clippers. It validated a lot of people’s doubts about this team and they’ve officially drifted into the Lowry/DeRozan era Raptors category of public perception is: “We don’t care how many games you win, prove it in the playoffs.”

The Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard to get rid of the stigma, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for the Jazz to make a move like that. They have to figure it out with the pieces they have and no amount of regular-season success is going to matter if they can’t put together a postseason run.